G. Venu

Gopalan Nair Venu popularly known as G. Venu (or Venu G. and affectionately Venuji) is a Koodiyattam and Kathakali exponent, choreographer and research scholar from Kerala, India. He received several awards and honors including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, Kerala Kalamandalam Award, Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his overall contributions in the field of performing arts. Being first person from a caste lower than Chakyar to study Koodiyattam, he is also the first person from a non-Chakyar community to receive the Kerala Kalamandalam Fellowship for Koodiyattam.